SEC: Mississippi State opens CWS title series Monday

– Former UK coach John Cohen has led Mississippi State to the finals of the College World Series. Michael Bonner of the Clarion-Ledger reports the Bulldogs beat Oregon State 4-1 to reach the championship round for the first time in school history. State will play UCLA in a best-of-three series starting Monday at 7 p.m.

– Florida guard Michael Frazier excelled in the Team USA U-19 tryouts and made the team that will play in the World Championships this week. “I tried to show them different areas of my game, like passing, rebounding, being intense on defense, talking, being a leader, things like that,” Frazier told Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun. “I wouldn’t have been invited (to tryouts) if I couldn’t shoot the ball, so I think they all knew that. I tried to show different parts of my game.”

– Ohio State surprised some recruiting experts by coming into Georgia and landing a little-known quarterback prospect. Michael Carvell of the AJC reports, “Lee County High School’s Stephen Collier committed to Ohio State on the spot after being offered a football scholarship on Friday. He picked the Buckeyes over Wake Forest and Cincinnati.” Collier’s star had been on the rise over the past month because of his showing at camps.

– Vanderbilt wants to build team chemistry heading into the 2013 season. “Summer is a time for us all to focus and get really serious with football,” quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels told Jeff Lockridge of the Tennesseean. “We only take three hours of classes each semester (in June and July), so we’ve got most of our days clear. We’re working out for a couple of hours a day and really grinding, and then a lot of us are putting in extra work out there.”

– The Orlando Sentinel believes South Carolina defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward is on the rise. Matt Murschel writes, “With players like Jadaveon Clowney, South Carolina won 11-games for the second straight season capped off by an impressive 33-28 win in the Outback Bowl. Once again, South Carolina has a bevy of talent, which should make Lorenzo Ward a defensive coordinator to watch in 2013.”